


A Certain Extension

by TheAnimeTrain



Category: Toaru Majutsu no Index | A Certain Magical Index
Genre: Academy City, Magic Side, Original Abilities, Original Character-centric, Science Side
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26509306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnimeTrain/pseuds/TheAnimeTrain
Summary: The difference between a "main character" and a "support character" is viewed simply by most people and taken for what it is. That was why Enshin always thought of himself as a "supporting character" who would never be involved with the "main characters". But life is an ever-changing things that can prove things wrong.
Kudos: 2





	A Certain Extension

_"It is June 10th and for those of you who are looking to go on a hot date tonight, be careful because there might be some trouble heading your way!"_

"Hm. Stupid people. There's no way they can scientifically be accurate with that nonsense," a boy said as he walked down the streets of Academy City

The boy had black hair and wore a male Nagatenjouki uniform. Although the uniform was fixed to make it look more comfortable for the boy with the size seeming to have been forcibly enlarged, the top few buttons undone and the tie loosened around his neck.

Toaru Enshin sighed as he pulled out a small packet of flash cards with a ring running through them. It was already late and he knew he would be in trouble when he got back to his dorm.

Even so, he continued to walk with the pace of someone who had nowhere to be.

It was to be expected when the difference between being late by an hour or a day was nonexistent. It would all end up the same in his case.

"Even so, I guess others have the right to believe what they want. Whether it be magical or scientific; a fairy tale or a dictionary; it's all up to that person's taste. Besides... A supporting character like myself has no real say in what others should like."

Nodding to himself, Enshin looked back down at the words he had written on the page of the small packet of flash cards with a ring running through them. The size of it was small enough to fit in his hand and looked as if it was bought in some small store with an unrecognizable name.

On the paper was written the kanji for "belief".

He gave the piece of paper a hard stare before signing and tossing it to the nearest trash can.

"That word is nasty. And now I just wasted some of my paper... It's cheap, sure, but I don't want to have to constantly go to a store just to make using my ability easier."

Without much thought, Enshin pulled out a pen and began writing on the small pieces of paper without looking down at his work.

It could have been viewed as strange to be writing and flipping pages on the small packet of flash cards while continuing to walk. His eyes were not focused on what he was writing and each word he wrote on the papers were directly in the center with no mistakes in their lines.

But in Academy City it was not something to even register.

Compared to the many abilities that could be seen in the city, this little trick was nothing special. It was just a normal thing someone could do whenever he felt like.

_Oh, but I guess it might be something to a Level 0. I doubt it though._

Deciding he had done enough writing, he put the packet of flash cards back in his pocket.

Now was not the time to be thinking of such trivial things when there was a much more pressing matter that needed his attention.

"Ah~ What should be my excuse this time? I don't think I will be getting away with being late, but I might as well give some sort of excuse."

Such matters as his lateness.

.

"I can't believe they didn't have any Gekota accessories there. I ended up spending my whole day at useless places."

While he thought about what excuses he could make for his dorm adviser, the lone voice of a girl came from directly in front of him and walked in the opposite direction as him.

Something that was hard to miss was her attire. She wore a school uniform like him, but the main difference was that, while he was from a co-ed school, this girl was from an all girls school.

Tokiwadai Middle School.

It was late and this particular part of Academy City was not the best for others to be around.

"Gekota? That isn't something I would have expected to hear an ojou-sama complaint about something like that."

The girl's attention was quick to get to him. Her flustered expression seemed to appear before she even turned her head.

"Wh-what!? N-n-no, you have it all wrong! It's...It's for my sister! Yeah, my little sister!"

"Now, now, no need for that kind of reaction. It's alright if you like that kind of stuff. I would actually be a hypocrite if I was against it. I'm a high schooler, go to Nagatenjouki Academy, and I enjoy a kid show myself."

"Is that so...?"

Enshin disregarded the skeptical look he was getting and instead pulled out his phone. Pulling up a picture, he showed it to the girl so that she could see what he was talking about.

"Alright, I guess that's fair. It's not Gekota, but I won't be judging someone because of that."

The girl let out a sigh before extending her hand.

"Misaka Mikoto. Fellow child franchise lover."

"Toaru Enshin. Senior child franchise lover."

The two shook hands as they gave an unspoken agreement to tell no one about what they had just learned.

Enshin eyes flickered with realization once he took in her name.

"So this is Tokiwadai's Raigun, huh? Smaller than expected."

It was followed by a frown from said girl.

"Hey now, I was just confirming with myself here. I don't care much for those kinds of things. Rather, it would be messed up for a supporting character to care about something like that."

"A supporting character?"

"Yeah. I'm just a plain speaking guy who likes plain speaking people. Anyone important wouldn't be like that, so it makes me a support character in life. Besides that, it means I have less to do and worry about."

"You say as you wear a Nagatenjouki uniform."

"It's an easy enough life as long as I keep up with others."

He had not been any sort of genius by any standards, but passing grades had always been what was important.

Since Nagatenjouki took in more than just Espers, there was more than enough proof that he was not a top scoring student.

"Comparatively, you would be having a harder time than I do. As a Level 5 and Ace of Tokiwadai, you have more on your shoulders than I do. I should be amazed that you keep it all up."

The sarcasm in his tone did not go unnoticed by either one of them.

Enshin was painfully aware that he could get like that when it came to others who clearly had something better going for them than he did. It was a nasty habit he had that resulted in a challenging tone that he would rather not take.

As if to point out his flaw, Misaka did not say anything against him or his sarcasm. Her eyes only narrowing with a single spark coming to life here or there.

"Ah, ah... That was my bad. Sorry about that," he said while scratching his head. "This does help me realize something though."

"And that is?"

He gave a nod.

"That you really are the most approachable and sane of the Level 5s."

"Have you met the other Level 5s?"

"Not at all. But I'm generally aware of what some are like, so there's that."

He knew that some like the 1st, 2nd, and 4th were ones he did not want to meet while the 5th could not be reached in general due to where she was situated. It was fine enough as things were though, nothing giving him a reason to seek them out.

.

Misaka felt a conflict of feelings as this older boy spoke to her.

The honesty from him seemed to be countered at the times he brought an overly sarcastic tone. His posture was relaxed and his expression gave nothing away, but he seemed tense when speaking to her. The words he spoke were about being a "support character", yet he seemed ready to pick a fight with a Level 5.

_I guess he's good at showing what he wants to show but can't really stop himself from showing other things._

It was a contradicting personality that did not know that it was contradicting itself.

She could see it better as he held it up again yet made no move to match his actions.

"Would you like me to walk you to your dorm? It can really be dangerous out here at times."

"Thanks for the offer, but you wouldn't be allowed regardless. Either way, I am fine to go back by myself."

He had not made any motion to lead her to believe that he would follow up on that offer, yet he spoke it with sincerity.

This contracting personality made it hard for her not to have her guard up. At the same time, putting up too much of a guard seemed like it would lead to nothing good.

So instead of being ready to electrocute him as he reached into his pocket, she slowly shifted her feet in case she needed to physically hit him.

Her eyes fell to the packet of flashcards that he pulled from his pocket. It seemed smaller than the ones she had seen in stores before, a clear sign that he had already taken some of them out.

"Here you go then. A gift as a greeting. Rather lazy of me, but it should work fine for a starting friendship."

Misaka's eyes turned to the slips he had taken out from the flashcards. Each one had something written on it.

"And what are these for?"

"You don't really need to know what my ability is for this to work, so I'm saved a bit of trouble there. Just know that if you ever need to feel like what those words say, remember that they came from me."

"With the way you say that it sounds like a creeper who is asking a girl to accept a gift he made with his hair or something."

"Why do you have to put it like that...? I thought the ojou-types were supposed to be refined and delicate."

"Sorry to break it to you, but I am not really an example of that."

"I guess that's for the better."

It was not a contradicting comment this time, but it had been enough to make her raise an eyebrow.

Most people would have preferred she stay with her appearance of an ojou-sama or the Ace of Tokiwadai. hearing that it was better she was not like that was something she did not often hear from others.

"Why is it better that way?"

She held back from electrocuting him once more when she heard a sigh come from him.

"Because how are you supposed to make friends when you are only acting a part? Oh, but I guess you don't need me to tell you anything since I have no clue what goes on at Tokiwadai. Level 5s have it pretty rough, don't they? Having friends can be difficult if they can't look passed your status and it is even worse when you can tell they are faking it."

He did not stop there and she did not stop him at all, wanting to hear what exactly he had to say.

"Those slips are proof of friendship...I guess I should say. I won't fake being a friend and will act like one. Does that sound fine?"

It was unexpected at the least.

The amount of times what he had mentioned came to be the truth was annoying. Status and strength was what others would look at when seeing her. If they did not back away after being intimidated that is.

_He doesn't look like he's just saying this for the fun of it. So he means it then since he also doesn't look like he's contradicting himself._

With that being the case...

"You should really watch who you start taking to, you know? A high schooler talking to a middle school looks suspicious to most people."

"It does, doesn't it? Damn. Yeah, that sucks. Whatever. We have already been holding a conversation so there isn't much I can do about it at this point."

"Glad to hear that. After all, what would be weird about two friends talking to each other?"

Smiling to both of them, Misaka grabbed the slips of paper before starting to walk away.

"It was cool meeting you, Toaru."

"Likewise, Misaka. Get home safe and try not to fry too many things around you."

There was no promise that was happening and they both knew it.

Laughing over her shoulder Misaka gave a last wave before starting her track back to the Tokiwadai dorms.

She had just made a friend and had proof to show it. Even if something like that did not matter.

* * *

Enshin stepped out into the light.

A distance away from Nagateknjouki Academy was a building with the interior space being reinforced. Only one place was filled with light like this.

_...Even if it is an artificial garden._

The sky was replaced by a monitor that recreated the actual sky outside. The monitor was made from several thin panels and it currently displayed the morning sky.

Wind could only enter and exit through the passageway, so the sweet smell of flowers and the clear smell of flowering water both tickled at his nose. He also felt a slight stuffiness, perhaps due to the recreated warmth of the sunlight.

Enshin walked down a gravel path cutting through the flower beds. He walked on his toes so that his shoes did not make holes in the path.

"—"

The gravel did not even stir below his feet. He only heard the occasional quiet sound of his feet hitting the ground, but he produced no sound or motion from the gravel, as if walking on a solid board.

He reached a bridge crossing the meandering stream.

"Rusty."

"Eh? Oh, right, right, right. Encchi, wait just a second. Just a second, okay? I need to prepare the energy I need for this conversation."

A boy wearing gloves and a straw hat stood up from the flower bed on Enshin's right. He had removed the shirt sleeves of his inner suit which was printed with the name Rusty. He was also holding something.

"Rusty. ...The main garden is a public space, so I'm not sure you should be planting potatoes in the flower beds."

"What? Encchi, you mustn't let common sense hold you back. Oh, I'm ready now, so can I release my energy?"

"If you want."

"Then here I go. ...Hey, Encchi! I went to all the trouble of making this a fortress! I'm part of an eeeeeeeevil organization now, so what's wrong with ignoring rules and regulations and growing some potatoes!? You got a problem with it!? Do you!? I even bred my own cultivar named after its golden color and an Incan king from its native South America! I went all Cusco on this Cápac Gold!"

"You didn't need to add the Gold to the name."

"D-dammit. What's that 'you have no guts' look for!? You're going to give a boost to my masochistic heart! But as one of the evil organization's generals (read: lackey), I want to sell potatoes until I have enough money for a security robot or two! Let's make even more potato fields and hide them from the teachers! That sounds great!"

"The evil general (read: lackey) is gardening in a straw hat?"

"Well, the other generals (read: lackey) were single-handedly threatening the heroes or fighting a mysterious being."

Rusty shrugged and Enshin frowned.

"Mysterious? But wasn't the thing Shinobu pursued last night after we closed it in here-..."

"Oh, that was just a figure of speech. It would be too much trouble if I didn't call it that. You need to get used to how I talk, Encchi. You may be an expert at supporting, but you let words get to you too easily."

"Do I?"

"You need more friends, right?"

Enshin recalled the night before, and...

"That was-...!"

"I never expected the supporting character to get so confused and let himself seem like a child lover by making friends with a little girl. We should celebrate that you still have a human side left. ...Right!?"

Rusty coquettishly pointed at him, so he stomped diagonally on the blade of a hoe sitting on the ground. The handle shot up and struck Rusty's crotch from below.

"...Hh."

He sank into the flower bed while staring up into the sky and Enshin sighed.

"Why not train some? Even you should be able to go up a level without my help, right?"

A trembling hand rose from the flower bed, telling him to wait. After a while, he heard him slapping his lower belly and then speaking.

"Hn... Yes. I-I'm fine. I'm fine! It still works! It still works!?"

"Why was that a question and why do you sound so effeminate?"

"A-a supporter would never understand! Heh heh. Jealous!? That's what you get!"

Enshin opened his phone.

"Idiotic researcher, Rusty has gone crazy again, so could you do something about it?"

"Toaru, I will have difficulty dealing with the problem unless you are more specific."

"Hmm. I guess it's a problem with his brain."

"Ah! Wh-why are you calling someone else to judge me!? This has to do with our crotches!"

"Then how about I chop yours in two so we can-... Urg. That one hit me hard without even using my ability..."

"J-just because you can make me feel that kind of thing is no reason to even try to suggest anything so frightening! Just so you know, mine just froze over!"

Rutsy opened a notebook labeled "I'll Get Revenge" and wrote in it as he stood up.

 _What is with this guy?_ wondered Enshin before asking him a question.

"Where is our underclassman?"

"Eh? Oh, she's training over there. Eh? What's this!? You're interested in our super cute underclassman!? Who gave you permission!? Ow! What kind of person throws a seed potato at people while using their ability to make it hurt more!? You want to fight!? ...I'm sorry, so don't glare at me like that. But those seed potatoes are important. You're not supposed to waste food, you see. You eat them like this... Oh, no! I really did just eat one with eyes! Eh? Underclassman? You can go see her! You have my permission! You got that!? My permission!"

"I know I told you that you could release your energy, but how about you calm down a little?"

"Now, now. This is a liberal arts sort of energy. Oh, and Mai-kun is over there."

Rusty grabbed the notebook and used it like a fan to point toward a cherry tree with green leaves.

A girl was swinging a wooden sword below it. She was somewhat tall and slender.

"Mai."

Enshin's shoulders relaxed as he walked over and spoke to the girl with the wooden sword.

"You were alright?"

Enshin saw the girl turn toward him.

Her sweaty face looked his way.

"Enshin."

Mai's hair was plastered to her sweaty forehead, so she brushed it up and smiled.

"Of course I'm alright. I'm always safe as long as I'm here, aren't I? Just like the rest of you."

"W-well, that is true."

"Sorry."

Enshin tilted his head as Mai tied her hair back.

"Why would you need to apologize?"

"Because I've been causing you a lot of trouble by being so worthless."

"The teachers understand why you can't come to class, so there are no complaints. Helping you out is no problem either."

"...Sorry."

Enshin could say nothing more when the girl repeated herself with a bitter smile. Mai resumed swinging her wooden sword.

"Have you seen, Mei? I haven't seen her all morning."

"Eh? No, Mei is-..."

"Encchi!"

Rusty's voice interrupted them.

"Could you help harvest my Cápac Gold!?"

"What? Well, I don't mind helping out a little..."

He saw Rusty crawling through the flower bed with his butt sticking out.

"Now! Come harvest my Cápac Gold! Ahhn, hurry up! I'm spreading it wide! Wait, where did you get that sickle from!? And who would throw it!? Normal people would throw a seed potato! What is wrong with you!? Hmm!?"

"I've been thinking. Maybe I should start telling Rusty what I actually think."

"You shouldn't do that, Enshin. Rusty-san is sensitive, so it would make him even crazier."

"Heh heh heh! See!? See!? Uhohoi! Uhohoi!"

Enshin ignored Rusty as he began a step dance with his hands on his hips. As if to take his place, Mai smiled toward him and opened her mouth.

"You're always such an idiot, Rusty-san."

"D-don't make it sound like that's a foregone conclusion, you second year Level 2! M-Mai-kun! Who do you think you're talking to!? I am your upperclassman, you know!?"

"Mai is a Level 2 and actually knows how to be normal, so you lose quite spectacularly in rank."

"S-so do you! So do you! Ah, what are you whispering in Mai-kun's ear!? Mai-kun, don't smile and nod! Let me in! Pass that comment onto me! And Mai-kun! Doesn't an unnecessary side comment in the rumors around here tell us that you and I gained a lot of fans recently for a homosexual relationship!?"

"Yes, but I'm a girl, so that rules that out. As a boy, you'll have to work extra hard all on your own."

"What's that tone of voice and smile for!? You don't think I can do it, do you!?"

"Well, no. To be clear, it's biologically impossible. Are you saying you can do it?"

"What!? Of course I can! I'll totally do it! Don't underestimate your upperclassman! Y-you won't like me when I'm angry! My favorite spells in RPGs are the instant death ones! I'll play both sides of the Cápac Gold myself! ...Whoa, that was close! What kind of person throws a hoe at people, Encchi!?"

"Ha ha. You're really strong, Enshin."

"Umm." Enshin faced Mai's slight smile but was unsure what to say. "You shouldn't pay much attention to him."

"You just told her to ignore me, didn't you!? Didn't you!? I'm the Vice President of the Never Do Work Club, you know!? ...Okay, she can ignore me, so can you stop glaring at me...please?"

Enshin had to start from the beginning due to that interruption, so he placed a hand on Mai's shoulder.

"Listen, Mai. You are plenty strong already, so don't look at everything so negatively."

"But... Then why am I getting skinnier and weaker every day?"

Mai wrinkled her brow.

"Even the doctors won't tell me why. Only that the cause is unknown. ...I supposedly have the Level 2 ability that Mei does, but my body has been so unsteady and I keep getting skinnier."

"Well..."

"What's wrong with me?"

And...

"And if no one knows why, am I just going to keep getting weaker?"

* * *

"I really am nothing but a support character, aren't I?"

The school day was over and the streets of Academy City were filled with students moving around. Most seemed to be going out with friends while others seemed to have an objective in mind.

Enshin found himself in neither one of the two categories as he walked around aimlessly. One earbud was blade in his ear while the other hung off of his ear, still letting him hear the voice that was coming through to the call he was on.

The voice on the other did not respond to his words, so he continued on as if he had gotten a response.

"I can't really help an underclassman, my grades are average compared to others, I have only some friends, and my ability is not one meant for combat. It really is an ability meant for supporting. If that isn't enough to solidify myself as a supporting character, I really don't know what will."

There was silence on the other end of the call.

Enshin did not mind the silence and instead waited for a response.

He had been walking for awhile now and had noticed something about the people walking around with their friends and the people who looked to have an objective in mind. While the former group was harmless enough, the latter group seemed to be dragging him into their objectives.

Some people had been moving around from building to building, bags in hand after having left. It was easy enough to assume that they were on a shopping spree or simply buying a lot for someone else, but...

_What kind of idiot goes into a grocery market for five minutes, comes out with only a pack of gum, then heads over to a jewelry shop? At least try to be discreet about this. Or just come out and do something. I wanted to keep aimlessly walking here without having to think about this._

He let out a sigh.

The sigh was quickly followed by many people around him letting out sighs of their own. Some of them went so far as to yawn instead, making him want to do the same.

"Crap. I didn't notice what I was doing..."

"You really are an idiot."

A response had finally come from the other end of the call.

The voice belonged to an older man and sounded irritated. If not for the soar sounding tone he took, Enshin would have assumed that the man had gotten a good amount of sleep to be this irritated.

"Pay attention to what you're doing. You got me to sigh with you there and now I'm getting some nasty looks around here."

Enshin raised a brow at this. Unlike with the sigh, he made sure that he was not doing anything that could affect the people around him.

"What are you doing exactly? I thought you would be alone for some overtime."

"I am doing overtime. But I'm stuck looking over everything again because you feel down. Thanks for that, by the way. You know how much I just love doing pointless things like these when I have other things to do."

"No problem, no problem. Always happy to make people like you extra angry."

The sound of someone clicking their tongue could be heard on the other end, but it sounded more feminine than masculine. He wanted to ask about that, but decided against it in case he stepped on a mine that would get him in trouble.

Another sigh came through after and he was aware that it may have been due to his ability again.

"Anyway, this month you are supposed to be working on scents. How is that coming along?"

"..."

"Hey."

"..."

"Hey, I'm talking to you! I know that silence means you haven't been doing it, but at least answer me, punk!"

"..."

"That's it! When I get- Ow!"

That same feminine voice from before could be heard as whines and whimpers came from the man.

Enshin was ready to end the call right then and there since the man would be distracted, but that had been quickly stopped by a double shout of, "Don't you press that button!"

Knowing he would not be able to escape the fate of a long lecture, he took a sharp turn to an alleyway. A dumpster was placed and the end of the long alleyway and two stair leading up to the roofs could be seen on the sides of the two buildings.

It may have been due to the topic of discussion, but he scrunched his nose at the smell coming from the alleyway. It may not have been as strong as he thought, but his own ability had caused him to take it in and register it as a terrible smell to be around.

"Damn you. There you go, you idiot researcher. I just accidentally hit my nose with a nasty smell because of you."

"Hahaha! Serves you right! Next time answer me properly and that won't happen!"

The thought of ending the call came back up with a vengeance.

"But you know," the man started. His tone was more relaxed and there was a fond undertone to it that made Enshin turn his eyes towards the ground. "You say that your ability is a supporting one, but we both know that's only because you use it that way. If used like before...the damage you can do would reach amazing heights."

"It can also reach dangerous heights."

He could not stop the bitter smile that came to him at his own words.

"Trying anything like that again might even bump me down a level."

"We will be more careful if you ever want to try again. I know that's not likely, but we will still be prepared, just in case."

The man was not forcing him to do something. There was no need to try anything a second time and he was accepting the fact that Enshin never would try again. It may have been wanted from him, but he was not being forced to do it again.

_I guess even he knows when to stop. ...That's good._

"Speaking of which..."

To the right and to the left he could see some people moving closer to the alleyway he was situated in at the moment.

Some of them were the same people he had seen going from building to building, but others seemed to be new.

This would not have been the first time something like this happened, but it seemed different from before. Previous times had involved Skill Out or thugs wanting to get him for one reason or another. Every other time had been because of normal stuff in Academy City.

"Hey, idiot researcher, did you set something up for me?"

"Huh? Why would I do that? You already know I'm too lazy for something that is outside the lab."

"That's what I figured. And here I thought you were just testing me out to get this month's data."

"Data should be taken in a controlled environment. The general area you are in would be too troublesome to get access too without giving a long winded explanation on what is going on."

"So that means I need to deal with this myself..."

"While you are at it, try using only scents to deal with it. Might as well get the data while we can."

"You just said-"

"Now I am saying this."

Enshin clicked his tongue this time.

He continued the call even as the people continued to get closer to where he was.

.

Sight was easy to use since most of the time everyone would be using their eyes to see what was going on.

Hearing was similar in the sense that people prefer to hear what is around them instead of guessing.

Touching was also easy to use, but the best results for that involved getting close or having a ranged attack launched. It was harder to accomplish compared to the other two and so he tried to only use sight and hearing for his ability.

But compared to smell and taste, using the sense of touch was nothing but easy mode. At least that was how it always seemed whenever he had to use one of those two.

Using either smell or taste usually went hand-in-hand with sight and hearing. To express how bad something tastes or smelled and show just how bad they were was always easy since it used the two easiest senses. Without using sight or hearing, smell and taste became nothing but hard mode when it came to dealing with others.

_And yet I have to use scents alone to get through this…_

It was likely that the idiotic researcher could tell if he had used any other senses to help him, so there was no clear out to his current problem.

_What is there to even use here? I don't have anything with a strong scent on me._

The sudden smell of garbage hit him for a second time.

The dumpster at the end of the alleyway caught his eye. There was trash overflowing from the top and multiple things were written on it with spray paint. The smell coming from it would have only been bad if he was close to it, but the fact he had gotten a whiff of it for a moment had made him register just how bad it was.

_Damn. Now I'm all itchy too. But if I start scratching now, it'll count as using sight for this too._

Holding back a sigh, Enshin began to move towards the dumpster at the end of the alleyway. The small tapping of footsteps could be heard from behind as he pulled out two pieces of paper from his small packet of flashcards.

He crumpled them up and placed them in his nostrils before reaching the dumpster.

_Alright, let's get this over with. Worst case scenario, I use more than just smell for this._

His thoughts finished as the footsteps finally stopped and a laugh was heard.

"Hey there, kid. You look kind of lost. You need help finding out where to go?"

.

Enshin looked up for a moment, seeing a body move back immediately as he saw it.

The voice behind him sounded like an older man, but that was not what mattered. Without a word, motion, or any sign, his ability had activated and now all he had to do was wait.

"Not really lost, but thanks for the offer."

The man moved forward along with the other people Enshin recognized as the ones going from building to building. His body looked rather heavy, but even that could not be determined when thinking about what Academy City was capable of. The same applied to the scrawny one in the back and the tall but thin one next to him.

The scent of the dumpster would take awhile to reach the ones at the end of the alleyway, but it was also moving up due to the upwards draft that came in from the opening of the alleyway. The person on top of the building would be able to smell the disgusting scent from the dumpster first, meaning there would be no bird's eye view for them.

But the ones in front of him...

"Oh, Nagatenjouki! Yup, this is the kid! Hey, we have an invitation for you."

"An invitation..."

This time he did not hold back from sighing.

"So that's what this is. Got it, got it. Who wants me to go where? That's not me accepting, by the way. I'm just curious, is all."

The man in front held out a piece of paper that he had pulled from his pocket.

The paper was filled with explanations as to what was going on, what was wanted, and the stamp at the top showed who it had been from.

"So them again, huh? Damn that idiotic researcher. Why can't he just file that lawsuit so we can be done with this? Those guys really don't understand that I'm only going to be helping out one organization, do they?"

"Just to let you know, kid, if you reject the offer, we've got the go ahead to use violence to take you to them."

"You really just want to use violence, don't you...?"

The man had not tried in the slightest to hide the gun and knife that was hanging from his belt. They were not noticeable if you took a quick look at him, but from that distance it was easy to see them. They were simple weapons and would work as good threats under normal circumstances. But...

"You guys know I'm a Level 4, right? You were told that, right? Just making sure you know what you are getting yourselves into."

"We're aware of that. We also took measures on how to deal with Level 4s."

"Right, right..."

The pieces of paper in his nostrils were starting to annoy him and the voice of the idiotic researcher was beginning to also get on his nerves. The way he had been laughing during this interaction meant he was able to clearly hear what was going on.

This was certainly not a first for either one of them and they knew just who had issued the order to invite him over.

Any attempts previously had ended in failures, so this had just been another failure that would add to that count. In a way it had become sad to Enshin with each rejection.

"I guess it's about time it happened."

He made no sudden movements, blinked as if nothing was wrong, and fixed his tie so that it was more loose around his neck. Everything was casual and gave no sense of danger to any of the actions.

The sound around him was the same. Nothing seemed out of place and the most he could hear was the laughing from the idiotic researcher and his own clothes being moved around on his body.

With such casual acts it was a wonder as to why the men who had been ready to use violence on him widened their eyes, covered their noses, and took a few steps back.

"Wh-what the...hell? What's that smell? Crap! It's in my mouth! What the hell did you do!?"

Enshin shrugged as casually as he had mixed his clothes.

Next to him was a dumpster that had graffiti on it and garbage overflowing from the top. Nothing about that screamed danger, but that had not been the case.

Pulling out his small packet of flashcards, he opened the small cover and began to write on the first available page.

"Nothing really went into your mouth, just to let you know. The smell just really got to you, so you can probably taste it now. Oh, but there was still nothing that went into your mouth. It's all smell."

He made sure that the idiotic researcher could hear him so that he would not be accused of using anything but smell.

The man in front of him looked towards the building he had seen the man before and let out a muffled yell through his hands.

"Shoot him! Make sure it's in the legs! ...Crap, this is burning my nose and mouth!"

Enshin closed the small packet of flashcards before placing it back in his pocket.

Looking forward, he began to walk in the direction of the three men with casual and slow steps. Each one echoed slightly in the narrow space, but that had no meaning to him or the men who were hiding their noses.

No shot came.

He got closer without any worry.

The man in front with the knife and the gun tried to reach out to grab him but went back to cover his nose and mouth.

"Hey, I said shoot him! We can use violen- Ero ero ero!"

"Ew... I didn't think it would be enough to make you start vomiting. Do you have a weak stomach or something? Sorry about that. And that guy on the roof is probably gone too. The breeze here goes up, so he got a nice, hard whiff of that same smell."

Enshin gave a look of pity over his shoulder. He was well aware of how bad the smell could be if you were not prepared for it from the start.

With no more reason to stay in the alleyway, he began to walk away from it as if nothing happened.

The people around him paid him no mind as they either walked around with friends or went somewhere else with an objective in mind.

* * *

"Good job there. We got the data for this month, so you can take it easy now."

The voice of the idiotic researcher came through once more once Enshin had gotten far enough away from the alleyway.

"What's next month?"

"Taste."

He let out a loud groan, not caring that it had made the idiotic researcher let out a sigh in return.

This was all because he had agreed upon something a long time ago. Now he would need to continue these data gathering moments. But it did not mean he could not complain about it the whole time.

"Look, I know it's annoying, but you're really helping out here. Both us and yourself. With your ability, keeping it all in without this data gathering could have a bad effect on your mental health. Besides that, we are keeping our end of the deal and looking for a way to help your buddy."

"Underclassman."

"Same thing. Oh, I guess not for you, huh? You don't have many friends after all."

"Why do you sound so smug about that? If I remember correctly, none of the women over there will look at you without giving you a nasty look. The guys just don't like you."

"They like me! They really like me! Not like that, but they like me! And the women here are all scary, so it's no wonder I get nasty looks!"

"Sure, sure. Whatever works for you."

The area surrounding him was quiet. The park he had decided to settle in for the moment was devoid of almost anyone else. People would come by here and there, but none of them had gotten close to him in the slightest.

He pulled out the small packet of flashcards again, this time going to the last page and writing something down on it.

The sounds of the birds in the trees were nice while the breeze passing through felt rather nice. Looking at the lake in front of him gave him a calm sort of feeling as the smell from the trees behind him flooded his nose to push away the smell of garbage he had dealt with earlier. Each piece of the scenery was something he took in at the same time, mixing them together in his mind.

Instead of each piece being a separate thing that was calming him down into a lazy daze, it all mixed together naturally in his head as he used his ability on himself. The lazy feeling began to overtake him and made the bench he was on seemed like the perfect bed for a nap.

"Well regardless, I'll leave you alone for now. I need to put this data in and compare it to the rest of them. I wouldn't expect anything less from someone like you. Your ability name is pretty befitting."

Even the voice of the idiotic researcher was not enough to stir him into action.

"Anyways, take it easy... Sense Distortion."


End file.
